According to a press release issued Tuesday, the hospital has launched its 45-Minute ER Commitment, an effort to ensure that people who come to the emergency room are offered quality care as soon as possible, said Karen Martin, SMH chief nursing officer.

Authorities are still investigating the death of a Lancaster man whose body was found in the middle of a Chester County road Sunday, July 29.

Chester County deputies found the body of Michael Terry, 39, 205 N. French St., only minutes after responding to a sexual assault call along the same road, according to information released Monday by Chester County Sheriff Richard Smith.

Jesef Williamsjwilliams@thelancasternews.com
Lancaster County’s unemployment rate is back up to 13 percent, mirroring a statewide trend that saw the rate rise in most counties from May to June.
The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce released June unemployment figures earlier this month.
Lancaster County’s jobless rate went from 12.3 percent in May to 13 percent in June. Its reported labor force is now 31,119. Of that total, 4,032 are unemployed.

Christopher Sardellicsardelli@thelancasternews.com
A former Lancaster County Recreation Department employee was arrested on 68 forgery charges Thursday, July 26, following an investigation by state authorities.
Cecil Scott Caskey, 50, 1190 Peach Farm Road, was charged with 30 counts of forgery less than $5,000 and 38 counts of forgery less than $10,000, according to arrest warrants released Friday by the S.C. Law Enforcement Division.

Jesef Williamsjwilliams@thelancasternews.com
Once upon a time, they hung from vines and carried the type of weight that resembled a watermelon.
Now, they exist as art pieces that can be passed along as gifts or kept as part of your own home decoration display.
Who knew gourds could hold such aesthetic value?
Dianne Mahaffee, an art teacher at Lancaster High School, has known about the usefulness of gourds for years, and just wrapped up a class that focused primarily on the circular fruit.

Reece Murphyrmurphy@thelancasternews.com
They’re celebrating over at the University of South Carolina Lancaster’s TRiO program.
In a world of public educational initiatives, where funding is often based more on the political climate than a program’s proven effectiveness, the TRiO program has managed to thrive – and this year the program is celebrating an important milestone.

Ashley Lowrimore
Del Webb Library at Indian Land
“Sing loud, jump high and Dream Big!”
If popular children’s entertainer Roger Day has anything to say about it, children and adults will do exactly that at an end-of-the-summer family concert Tuesday, July 31, at the Del Webb Library at Indian Land.